UpSwing Aerial Dance Company

UpSwing Aerial Dance Company

A Destination

"Best Way to Learn How to Fly" SF Weekly's 'Best of the Bay of 2006'

Upswing Aerial Classes on of the "Top 5 exclusive classes to take This Summer 2015" - TheCultureTrip.com

Since 2005, UpSwing Aerial Dance Company has been a destination for dancers and movement enthusiasts to push their artistic development. Director Cherie Carson brings her unique style, blend of movement, encouraging improvisation and collaboration with her dancers & students.

We specialize in merging dance with rope & harness, low flying trapeze (Motivity Trapeze), slings, bungees, and tissu. We have 3 teaching dancers/aerialists on faculty, and 5 adjunct faculty committed to the merging of dance and aerial arts. UpSwing Aerial Dance offers a rare blend of creativity, aerial technique, improvisation, time and space to motivate the artist within you.

Our mission is to inspire and share our love of original, aerial dance and that the idea of aerial dance can be extended to reveal human imagination, our relationship to each other and to one's inner self. Creative expression and safety are our two core values in our classes and performances.

UpSwing Company

UpSwing is a contemporary aerial dance company that features the repertory of Artistic Director Cherie Carson. They have been presented nationally in New York, Seattle & Houston and San Francisco.

UpSwing Community

UpSwing offers opportunities for students to take classes from the Company as well as nationally recognized choreographers and teachers. We also teach workshops across the US including Atlanta, Austin, San Antonio and Santa Barbara.

Studio

ALL classes, workshops and most performances are held at Studio 12 under the direction of Cherie Carson and UpSwing Aerial Dance Company.

Company

Company

UpSwing is a contemporary aerial dance company that features the repertory of Artistic Director Cherie Carson. The Company has been presented locally and nationally, performing & teaching to audiences and students in New York, NY; Seattle, WA; Santa Monica, Sacramento and San Francisco, CA; and San Antonio, Austin and Houston,TX.

Cherie Carson

Cherie performing "Kiting"

Artistic Director

Cherie Carson is a contemporary choreographer, dancer, aerialist, teacher, & interdisciplinary artist. Cherie performed her first aerial dance piece in 1990. In 1992, Cherie began to incorporate video into dance. Her video was a finalist for the Robert Bennett Award in LA. In 1998, Cherie performed to sold-out houses at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland. Upon arriving in the Bay Area in 2000, Cherie studied with Terry Sendgraff and in 2005 she took over Terry's Aerial Dance business. She has performed and studied with 30+ national & international dance makers including Molissa Fenley, Merce Cunningham, Bebe Miller, Tanztheater Rubato, Bridgeman-Packer Dance, Douglas Nielson and Dwight Shelton. Upon arriving in the Bay Area in 2000, Cherie studied and taught workshops with Terry Sendgraff. She has choreographed dances that have been performed in a planetarium, on stilts, on roller blades, in sculpture gardens, reflection pools in a dress of 11 yards, on a bungee cord hanging from a Banyan tree, on trapeze, tissu, slings, rope & harness and invented equipment. Cherie has created more than 40 aerial pieces for herself, UpSwing Company & other companies and individual artists.

"My life’s work as a dancer/choreographer/artistic director has been to explore my imagination and intuition. While I am not always sure where the sparks of insight come from that drive me to continue to create, to feel passionately about something that doesn't exist yet, to try things to see if they work, to ask questions, this is how I view life and how I view my art form."

Jennifer Alvarado

Company Dancer/Adjunct Teacher

Jennifer (“Jem”) Alvarado is both a performer and teacher of aerial dance, with an emphasis on performance with aerial fabric. She has studied with Arwen Anderson and Kerri Kerinski, and continues to learn from other aerialists. Alvarado also manages her own studio where she teaches yoga, and has been a P.E. instructor for 10 years at the Challenger school. “I’m inspired by working with UpSwing,” she says. “Performing on rope and harness is new to me, and I enjoy having the chance to collaborate with other dancers.” www.FlyingYogaLove.com

Kirstin Brown

Company Dancer/ Teacher Teens Who Fly

Kirstin Brown has a BA in Theatre Arts from Humboldt State University. She has worked as a professional makeup artist and currently performs as a belly dancer. Kirstin recently joined the UpSwing company as part of her continuing dance studies: "The next step in my dancing career is to get off the floor, and into the air!."

Karin Auch Photography

Helen fitanides

Company Dancer/Teacher

Helen Fitanides danced on the ground for many years, but a whole new world opened up in 2010 when she began dancing with the La Petite Chouette Aerial Dance Company in Santa Barbara. She had the opportunity to learn many aerial genres (including fabrics, rope, trapeze and lyra), and has had the pleasure of performing in California, Arizona, and Colorado. She is thrilled to be dancing with the UpSwing Company! She has a degree in marine biology and works in the environmental field when not flying.

Hannah Dworkin

Company Dancer/Adjunct Teacher

Hannah Dworkin is a skilled performing artist and educator with a strong background in modern and aerial dance as well as in opera. The Director of UpSwing Youth Programs, she is a fully credentialed classroom and music teacher. Dworkin holds a B.A. in Dance from the University of California Berkeley and an M.A. in Music and Music Education from Columbia University. A regular performer in musical theatre, she has “flown” in musicals, from Aladdin to Peter Pan. “What I enjoy about performing with UpSwing is that the work unites what I love about the arts – both the visual and dance aspects,” she says.

Elizabeth Scotten

Company Dancer/Adjunct Teacher

Elizabeth Milne-Kahn is a graduate of U.C. Santa Cruz, where she majored in Community Studies. She holds a teaching credential from Mills College, and teaches elementary school. Her early training was in gymnastics and ice skating. She began working with Terry Sendgraff in 2000, performing with Cherie Carson, and later with Miranda Company in Santa Cruz. She returned to the Bay Area, studying and performing again with UpSwing. “Aerial dance is more meditative and more expressive for me than gymnastics or circus skills,” Milne-Kahn says. “The artistry is more of a challenge, and that’s what I love about it.”

Alissa Kaplan Soto

Company Dancer/Adjunct Teacher/Visual Artist

Alissa Kaplan Soto studied aerial dance for six years with Terry Sendgraff and performed with her company until Sendgraff’s retirement. She then began studying with Cherie Carson, and joined UpSwing Company, returning for this year’s season after 3 years in New York, where she performed with Julie Ludwick’s Fly-by-Night Dance Theater. As an artist, Alissa works in many mediums such as, painting, printmaking, and fiber arts. Her artistic style can be seen in her choreographic work as she melds her fine art to movement. Alissa holds a B.F.A. in Ceramics and an M.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Hunter College. She is a working artist and teacher. www.alissakaplan.com

Helium valentine

Company Dancer/ Teacher Girls Who Fly

One doesn't choose to be a dancer, they are born one. Helium began dancing from the time she could walk. She had a few formal years of ballet in Atlanta as a young child which she learned key points of alignment and safety that she kept with her the rest of her life. She was introduced to modern in her teens, tried ballet again in college, but chose improv and modern to earn her minor in Dance along the a History degree at Oberlin College.She dance in LA in a modern dance company and for agencies for many years. She thought yoga was her calling and completed a Teacher Training, but it was aerial dance that became the path she had to take when she took her first class in 2009. In 2013 she completed a 10 month aerial professional training at Frequent Flyers in Boulder, Colorado. She moved to the Bay Area in 2014 where she now trains, teaches and performs. When she is not doing aerial, she cross trains with Muay Thai and yoga.

CARA ZEISLOFT

COMPANY DANCER/ADJUNCT TEACHER

Originally from Portland, Cara Zeisloft began dancing at age four, and began taking classes when she was eleven. Cara first danced in the air at The Evergreen State College in 1992, then studied in Seattle with Robert Davidson. She has also danced on the ground with the Chimene Pollard Dance Group, and performed with We Players in site-specific theater on Alcatraz. Cara has a psychotherapy practice in Berkeley, where she helps people with issues of gender and sexuality, relationships, and integrating masculinity and intimacy. While Cara makes dances of her own, she relishes the chance to turn over the choreography to the ever-inventive Cherie Carson, and just fly.

ARTISTS AND COLLABORATORS

Sarah Stolar

Collaborator/Interdisciplinary Artist

Sarah Stolar is an interdisciplinary artist who lives in the Bay Area. Her primary focus is drawing and painting, however she also works in multi-media installation, film, and video. She grew up in an art studio/school environment, received a BFA in Painting from the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and a MFA in New Genres from the San Francisco Art Institute, where she currently teaches. Sarah Stolar is also involved in collaborative projects with several notable performance artists, she has worked on two feature-length films, and curated five gallery and museum exhibitions. Selected visual art and performance exhibitions include the Donaufestival, Krems, Austria; Anti-Contemporary Art Festival, Kuopio, Finland; Currents 2011, Santa Fe; 53rd Venice Biennale; and a solo exhibition at the Bohemian Gallery & Museum of Contemporary Art, Montevideo, Uruguay.

Sarah appreciates the cross-disciplinary nature of working with Upswing. "Cherie has the ability to merge aerial with conceptual aspects of visual performance," she says. "It's not just the movement that makes each piece exciting; it's the story behind the dance, the costume, as if the dancers become part of a moving sculpture." www.sarahstolar.com

ASHLEY FOSTER

GUEST TEACHER, former Company dancer

Ashley Foster studied aerial dance with Terry Sendgraff, noted aerial dance pioneer, after having a taste of aerial arts at Camp Winnarainbow. She also performed and co-choreographed as part of Terry Sendgraff’s Aerial Dancers for several years and had a stint performing aerial and various other circus arts with the Technomania Circus. Since Sendgraff’s retirement, Foster has been working with Cherie Carson and UpSwing Aerial Dance Company, both performing with the company and teaching a beginning/intermediate aerial dance class. “I really appreciate the opportunities for growth that Cherie has provided,” notes Foster, when asked about her work with the company. Beyond aerial arts, Foster has earned gold medals at the 2012 World Unicycling Championships, designed award-winning costumes, presented at conferences on sustainability and climate change issues, and traveled much of the globe. Her formal education includes a B.S. in Chemistry, an M.S. in Environmental Science Engineering, and a certificate in Apparel Design & Merchandising.

Richard Kittle

Rigger for UpSwing Company

Richard Kittle has worked throughout the Bay Area with aerialists and aerial companies including Bandaloop and Kim Epifano. He has been rigging for UpSwing shows since 2005.

Current Repertory

Current Repertory

Teardrops

Created in 2016, this work is a 45 minute aerial dance piece for 6 dancers. "The cure for anything is saltwater: sweat, tears or the sea." - Isak Dinesen

Winter Dreams

Created in 2015 as a 30 minute work on and off the floor. Includes 10 dancers, 2 musicians and 1 vocalist.

Sina

Sina (Moon Goddess), solo on Lyra. Sina resides within the moon itself, and is the protector of those who might travel at night. She paddled her magical canoe to the moon and was struck by the moon's tranquil beauty and decided to stay.

Dryads

Created 2015, Dryads (Tree Spirits), Group dance on and off 3 tissu

How Much Longer

Created in 2015 as a duet on 2 tissu to Lauren Carley singing "Wie Lange Noch" song by Kurt Weill

Outpost Series: Longing

Created in 2013 for 3 dancers, “Outpost moves through the personal longings of each dancer. Created for aerial tissu and floor dancing

Hijinks

Created 2013, “Hijinks” is a fun group piece for 4-6 dancers on rope and bungee

Chandelier

Created in 2011-12, “Chandelier” is a duet piece in which the dancers create a living chandelier.

Snowbirds

Created in 2010, “Snowbirds” is a group dance on rope and harness as dancers move snow is released on stag

Slightly Cracked

Also created in 2008, “Slightly Cracked” is a humorous solo which involves a raw egg while dancing on a sling

Inside the Circle

Created in 2007 and first performed at Women who Fly Festival, Mission Dance, SF, CA duet on rope and harness

Entwined

Created in 2006, is a multimedia aerial solo on rope with video projected on a wall

Carried Away

Solo on single point trapeze

Trikona

Created in 2005 is a trio piece on 3 ropes

Kiting

Created in 2001, is an aerial dance on bungee cord

Split Focus

Created in 2001, first performed at St. James Church, SF, CA, site-specific solo using light to create large shadow play

El Vestido de Once Baras or The Dress of Eleven Yards

Created in 1997, first performed at the Klein Fall Fest, Lake Worth, FL; solo performed in a very large dress

Past performances

Past performances

2017

APRIL 20: 25 POINTS OF VIEW: A PEEK INTO DANCE-MAKING605 Addison St, Berkeley, CAAn exciting day of dance and creative process featuring 25 local choreographers in celebration of Luna Dance Institute's 25th anniversary, offering a peek into dance-making and the fundamental value of creativity. more details to follow..

2016

DEC 9: 2ND FRIDAY NIGHT ART PARTY AT THE SAWTOOTH..UPSWING SITE SPECIFIC IN THE GRAND HALL It's winter, enter an atmospheric world. 7-8 PM performance by UpSwing Company in the Grand Hall at the historic Sawtooth Building, 2525 Eighth Street. Art ~ Music ~ Aerial Dance ~ Live Music ~ Mingle ~ Explore the Sawtooth Building on the 2nd Friday evening of the month as artist open their doors and share their work. FREE event

NOV 4: COCKTAILS, AERIAL DANCE & KILLER VIEWS Assemble restaurant & UpSwing Aerial Dance Company team up for a magical night, Friday Nov. 4th, 2016 from 4:30-7 PM. Located at 1414 Harbour Way South, Richmond, CA 94804, is a unique setting with beautiful and inclusive views of the entire Bay Area. Upswing will perform newest work in progress and offering an opportunity for you to hear what inspired the dance. Friday Nov 4th, experience the sweeping vistas that extend from the East Bay Hills to the city of San Francisco as we assemble for this one of a kind special benefit for Upswing. The Richmond shipyards take us to the land’s end. Cocktails, small bites, sunset views over the water give a perfect setting for UpSwing’s "Teardrops".

AUGUST 19-21: SAN FRANCISCO AERIAL ARTS FESTIVAL UpSwing Company performs in the San Francisco Aerial Arts Festival, Bay Area’s premiere aerial arts event, featuring internationally recognized aerial artists and exciting new artists breaking into the field. Performance is at Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture’s Gallery 308 on August 19 and 20, 2016. Produced by Zaccho Dance Theatre, this biennial festival brings together spectacle, daring athleticism and poetry to create a dynamic three day performance event.

AUGUST 17: IMPROV NIGHT 7-8 PM - POT LUCK AFTER6th Annual show of UpSwing Aerial Dancers working alongside with OneVoice Circle Singers and Bay Area musicians to create a show in the moment in front of the audience. UpSwing Company & students improvise together with One Voice Circle Singers and musicians Dan Cantrell & Gary Muzinski. FREE EVENT, BRING A DISH TO SHARE

APRIL 24: FREE PERFORMANCE AS PART OF "DANCE-A-RAMA" 4-5 PM @ STUDIO 12 UpSwing Company and students perform in "Dance-A-Rama" as part of a FREE performance in celebration of Bay Area Celebrates National Dance Week. Choreography by Jennifer "Jem" Alvarado, Kirstin Brown, Ashley Foster and Artistic Director Cherie Carson.

2015

Dec 19-21: SOLSTICE! at STUDIO 12, 2525 Eighth Street, Berkeley, CA “Solstice!” is an East Bay favorite holiday alternative since 2005. Produced every other year, this is the 6th production. “Solstice!” celebrates the longest night of the year with music and dance by some of the Bay Area’s finest performers, and includes a Solstice-inspired visual arts installation by Alissa Kaplan-Soto. Enter into a winter wonderland with tree spirits, a moon goddess and snowbirds. Experience the music of Dave Worm and Mark Vickness (Glass House) and Amar Singh Khalsa & Sahib Amar Kaur Khalsa. And see the holiday inspired Teens Who Fly dance their L-O-V-E of the holiday!

August 13: IMPROV NIGHT UpSwing Company & students improvise aerial dance to the improvised music of One Voice Circle Singers and musicians Amar and Sahib Amar Khalsa.

July 18-26: Festival of Aerial Arts at Vault Houston - Upswing invited as guest performers and led "Dynamic Duo" workshop

July 9: Send-off Cocktail Party for UpSwing Company, wine & cheese, showing of dance and wine raffle. Fundriaser for UpSwing Company performance at Houston Festival of Arts July 18, 19th and workshop on the 20th.

April 27: DANCE A RAMA UpSwing performs "Inside the Circle", 8th Street Studios, Berkeley 2-3 PM as part of a FREE performance in celebration of Bay Area Celebrates National Dance Week.

2013

Dec 21: Winter Solstice Celebration is a holiday favorite and the perfect way to celebrate the longest night of the year. The show includes music and dance by some of the Bay Areas finest performers and includes an original visual arts installation specific to the Solstice. 2 shows...one night! Studio 12, Berkeley, CA

August 17: UpSwing invited as guest performers at Open Air Festival, Vashon, WA

August 10: TICKET TO FLY! Company and friends perform in a night of innovative aerial performance and dance! For your viewing pleasure we present trapeze, bungee and rope, aerial silks, belly dance, hoop dance, and much more! Studio 12, Berkeley

April 27: What's Up! Free, Exciting Aerial Performance "What's UP!" is a stellar performance & where you can see the best of what aerial is all about - beautiful, powerful, graceful and lively. Studio 12, Berkeley, CA

YELP REVIEWS:

Anne H, Berkeley, CA “UpSwing Aerial Dance Company-Loved the act at the end of the night.”

Michelangelo S. Sacramento, CA “But my most favorite performance at the entire event was the aerial artist group "Upswing". These ladies were extremely elegant and lovely in the way they flowed through the air and on the ground as they hovered on elegant fabric "swings". Gorgeous costuming, elegant &amp; breathtaking choreography, it was a visual poetry for we visual participants...”

ARTICLES:

About the Classes

Parents comments....

"Girls Who Fly and Teens Who Fly has been an important piece of the pie in my girls' childhood and young womanhood. You have added to both of my girl's sense of poise and confidence and have been a safe port during the stormy seas of adolescence. Keep up the good work - you and your program are making a difference in young people's lives, and creating beautiful art to boot!" Sara Stutz

"Thank you for this wonderful opportunity. My daughter truly enjoyed taking your aerial dance classes during the winter session and is very excited about the upcoming camps. I too am very impressed and pleased with the environment you've created for the girls to learn and development within. I sincerely thank you for the gift that you've given my daughter. I have seen very positive, beautiful qualities forming in her since she has joined your classes. Many thanks," Fatema Crane

Student Comments...

"Studio 12 is exceptionally supportive of all levels of physical ability and skill. After cancer treatment five years ago, I thought I would never get on a trapeze again, but a wonderful friend gave me a gift certificate to Studio 12, which might be one of the most important gifts I have ever received. All of the teachers have been so accepting of the serious limitations I have in my leg and have helped me do things with my body that I never dreamed possible. I know that the community at Studio 12 and being able to continue my passion has helped my healing tremendously. I still have trouble walking, but at least I can fly!! Thank you so much, Cherie, Ashley, Hannah and everyone at the studio." Mary Love

"Our favorite way to play...These classes on trapezes and other low flying aerial equipment are up there at the top of my list of big fun to be had in this world! My daughters take Girls Who Fly and Kids Who Fly, and these classes truly rock and are their favorite part of the week. I love the aerial adult class and have been doing this form of movement, with great pleasure, for many years. The teachers at Studio 12 are fun, supportive, creative and kind. I can not recommend these classes more highly as a worthwhile and whimsical exploration of self which instills confidence, grace, balance, improv. and communication skills. Enjoy!" Beth Gelfand

"Cherie is one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. She is very observant and always brings humor and kindness into her classes in both yoga and aerial dance. She helps everyone learn at their own level and is very supportive yet pushes people just enough that they grow and learn without becoming discouraged. She also brings a wealth of experience to her classes; this is something I appreciate greatly. I feel her classes have allowed me to learn things I would never have been able to with any other teacher. I highly recommend her!"

"I'm coming up on my first Monday without a trapeze class this summer and wanted to take this opportunity to tell you what a fabulous time I had and how pleased I was with both teachers! I'm out of shape and overweight but never felt intimidated or left behind. I always felt welcome and supported and acquired skills that I didn't think possible after the first class (which was a shock to the system but totally exciting!). I received a good amount of individual attention from both teachers and seeing as installing a trapeze in my own apartment looks impractical, I definitely plan on attending more classes. I'm thrilled to have discovered UpSwing and look forward to more trapeze time in the future!" Sarah Kurtz

"'Look at me! I’m flying!' Well, not precisely, but it feels that way. It’s the most dynamic and exciting dance partner I’ve ever had. Since I started taking aerial classes at Studio 12 Flys almost three years ago, my life has truly changed. I could go on about the amazing benefits to my back and the great development of my muscles, but the emotional and lifestyle benefits have been even greater. In our playful classes and particularly in our improv performances, I have found joy. All dance is about movement. But aerial dance literally adds an entire new dimension to your movement, bringing it from the floor up into the air. This opens up a world of extraordinary new possibilities, as well as a world of extraordinary new challenges. Finding the strength, both physical and emotional, to meet those challenges is an amazing developmental experience. The feeling of “I can do it!” encourages you to even greater feats. There is nothing like working with absolutely excellent dancers to help you become a better dancer. I’ve also been inspired by my instructors to greater accomplishments in other areas of life, such as cycling. I have never met a community of dancers who made me feel more welcome and appreciated. This is a very friendly group! Aerial dance has made an enormous difference to me, and I am proud to be part of the UpSwing Aerial Dance community. No workout will put a spring in your step like this one!" Beth Zuckerman

Photo and video credit

Photo and video credit

HUGE thanks to these folks who document dance.

Once the performance is done the images live in our minds and through these people and through their lens we relive those moments. Thank you for your photos and video work.